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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Hot New York Pretzel...sooo goood. I knew that would get your your attention. : )

OK...I took a some heat from my last post because I wrote about Occupy Wall Street, got a few unhappy emails asking me to stick to my pictures and regular stories about NYC...The thing is, once behind the wheel as a taxi driver, my ass is occupying a front row seat to New York City, and like the description of my blog says, "watching the city and bringing it to you, I am the King of New York"... well, if I brought you anything less like the mainstream media has in the past few weeks, I'd be the Joker...So I did just that and went down there to talk with people, and here are my thoughts. : )

A few weeks ago when Occupy Wall Street began, the media didn't cover it at all...the only information I would get on it was online, youtube, or people I would drive that went to the protest,were planning on attending it, or were just regurgitating what they read or saw on the internet.

The newspapers and media showed the mace incidents, the Brooklyn Bridge arrests, some unsavory characters who were living in the park and stating that this was the only type of people associated with this protest...and a lot of it was horseshit. The media focused in on people who were dressed different, didn't know their history, or were there for the free food...almost sounds like a meeting of congress. Anyway, when I went there, I was shocked to find they established a medical unit, a kitchen, a legal team, a comfort unit (clothes, blankets etc.), a media unit, an art department, 2 greeting tables, a library, and sanitation cleanup crew...they are not as unorganized as the media portrays...not to mention they have professionals working with them...I met Doctors, Lawyers, Medics, Librarians, Journalists,Professors, Ex-Bankers, Iraq-Afghan Veterans, and many more that are part of this protest...

Why are they being discredited ? What happened to journalism in this country ?? How can we not take veterans who served 6 years over in Iraq and Afghanistan seriously or at the very least hear them out ?
I may not agree with any of them, or I may agree with all, but I thought we are entitled to make up our own minds from fair and unbiased reporting...maybe not...this young man spoke about the fed and had a video go viral, but I don't see Geraldo Rivera interviewing this 20 year old frustrated student from Long Island who doesn't want a lifetime of debt.

I know some people say "Why are they protesting Wall St ? Why aren't they at the White House ? Who are these people ?

Well, from what I gathered, they are us. Americans. Unhappy Americans...like em or not, its a fact....and they chose Wall Street to begin their campaign...and were moved to Zuccotti Park peacefully...I spoke to bankers who told me about the firms they worked for and the way they pass off losses onto their retail clients charging them extra fees...in detail they explained why they are frustrated with the system that rewards the people who subscribe to hurting the little guy... the little American. One writer told me that Mayor Bloomberg's girlfriend who was the Superintendent of New York Banks is on the board of Brookfield Properties who own Zuccotti Park...I looked it up and he was right, she is on the board ...Well that's a "Public-Private relationship" that I haven't seen in the press at all...the writer told me he wasn't allowed to print it.

Is this the journalism we want for this country ??

Yes, there is a drum circle there which consists of some hippie types, and many other individuals...I'm not a drum circle kind of guy, but I do own one musical instrument...a cowbell... and I just had to park the ole Taxi and use the opportunity to practice my musical skills since the Yankees were knocked out of the playoffs...heh heh..you know you want more cowbell. : )

I met Nurses who are only given a 36 hour work week so they have to foot their own health plan, Veterans who came back from the war and can't find employment, Parents with their children working two jobs and worried that they'll lose their apartment soon due to rising costs and no pay raises, Construction workers who work in dangerous conditions...Real issues , real people...A lot of benefits that were fought for many years ago have been slowly taken away, and people are scared.

OK, enough of my ranting...lets go back in time...

The NYU Brown Building is a tragic piece of history...I took a walk by it the other day.

Thoughts about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on its centennial.

Where organized labor had its tumultuous beginning.

It is now a National Historic Landmark.

The cornerstones explain the fire...

...and the history.

A reflection of a time not to be forgotten.

It's remarkable how history tends to write itself through tragedy in that we tend to need catastrophic events to initiate change...

The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers, who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or jumped to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Jewish and Italian immigrant women aged sixteen to twenty-three; the oldest victim was 48, the youngest were two fourteen-year-old girls. Many of the workers could not escape the burning building because the managers had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits to keep workers in, and union organizerss out. People jumped from the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers.

What will history make of us ? ...we can do much better.

This spirited young girl is building a mountain of student loans...

The movement even have their own paper...The Occupied Wall Street Journal.

I haven't seen anyone interview Queen Mother Sylvia Jordan who is 92 years old, an Army Chaplain, Blind and in a Wheelchair...but the King did...She told me stories about the civil rights movement, a former WWII Buffalo soldier, and one of the few surviving
HR23 (served in the United States merchant marine including the Army
Transport Service and or the Naval Transport Service) during World War II. She is still fighting for the Merchant Mariners of World War II Bill for benefits that were killed by Congress. She is an inspiring woman and if you are in NYC, stop by and talk with her, she is an amazing human being.

Queen Mother Sylvia Jordan with Winnie Mandela

...and is blessing the youth of today...this young kid is a medical student with a boatload of debt.

The volunteers for the legal team are made up from all races, creeds and colors...paralegals, lawyers and clerks...these are tomorrows leaders peeps.

...and a lighted hula hoop keeps people smiling down there.

They put the King on a leash because of my cowbell playing...but they couldn't stop my howling at the economy. Owooooooo ! !

..and this I agree with no doubt...Wall St, certainly needs an enema...maybe two.

Even 3 years olds are pissed off at the lies.... that's not good...a juicy box won't fix that.

I've seen some wrong on both sides...I've seen some people rude to the police, and I've seen some police rude to regular people and trying to agitate them...even the King almost got caught up in one of those orange nets they have when I was just coming out of a building while they were protesting outside Wall St...I also saw a Police Officer juggling with one of the kids and discussing pensions, and how bowling pins are easier to juggle with two people rather than balls...the pins have a handle to focus on, who knew ? Can't save the economy but hey, at least we all go down juggling. Overall, they are all decent people down there with some opportunists mixed in like any event of this nature has...but they are educating each other with purpose and want a better America, I just cant argue with that...nobody should, and the media is dropping the ball...maybe they should use bowling pins too. I don't get to be on a side as a Taxicrat, in the course of a night I drive them all, Liberals, Republicans, Tea-party, Democrats, Rich, Poor, Happy, Sad, young. old...they're all American. Hopefully through the peaceful process, I hope the important issues will be addressed so our country can start functioning on the higher levels we are capable of and eventually we can end these wars and bring our brothers and sisters home...10 years is enough..

I may only be a Taxicrat, but I listen to the issues of all who flow through the ebb and tide of a New York City Taxi, and if I figure out what the answer is, you'll be the first to know as I honk my horn at the challenging times ahead and keep bringing New York City to you as I remain...

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Watching the city and bringing it to you.....I am The King of New York.

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